Marketing and Communications
Press Releases: June 2008
Southern Oregon University Announces New Administrators (6/25/08)
Southern Oregon University (SOU) is pleased to announce the appointment of two new administrators: Paul Adalian as Dean of SOU’s Hannon Library and Michael Crane as Director of the Schneider Museum of Art.
The Lenn and Dixie Hannon Library offers access to an ever-growing number of resources for instructional, research, and general information needs. The collections complement the educational programs of SOU and include materials in a variety of formats. Hannon Library has become a cultural, social, and learning center of SOU and the region, hosting lectures, musical performances, and other events.
Paul Adalian
Michael Crane
Crane has more than 25 years of experience as both an art director and a businessman. His accomplishments include three years as an art director for the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, where his work helped the center win the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts and increased attendance by 200 percent. He raised more than $1.8 million in cash, bequests, and gifts of art for the Colorado University Art Galleries in Boulder, Colorado, where he worked as a director for nine years. Crane starts his new position on June 23, 2008.
Since its founding in fall 1986, the Schneider Museum of Art has played a significant part in Southern Oregon University’s focus on the visual arts. The museum holds more than 500 pieces in its permanent collection and regularly hosts the work of emerging and famous artists.
“I am very pleased that we have attracted two such talented individuals to SOU,” said University President Mary Cullinan. “They bring vision and experience that will contribute significantly to the mission and goals of this university.”
SOU and Dankook University to Extend Exchange Agreement (6/25/08)
Southern Oregon University (SOU) President Mary Cullinan, PhD, and Dankook University President Hosung Chang, PhD, will sign a memorandum of understanding during a luncheon on Friday, June 27, from 11 am to 1 pm in the Dankook Room (Room 314) of SOU’s Stevenson Union.
The memorandum of understanding replaces and extends the agreement originally signed in 1970 and renewed in 2005. As a result of the long-standing partnership, SOU has hosted numerous Dankook faculty members who have spent their sabbatical at SOU working on research. Also, each year SOU grants the Dankook Award to an outstanding graduating undergraduate student. Likewise, one Dankook student receives the Southern Oregon University Award each year.
As defined by the new agreement, one Dankook student per year will study at SOU. The first yearlong exchange student will start fall 2008. In exchange, three SOU students will visit Dankook for short summer sessions focusing on Korean language and culture. SOU will also host a group of approximately 20 Dankook students for three to four week sessions of intensive English classes and cultural activities.
This will be Chang’s first visit to SOU. He will be accompanied by Yonghyun Ahn, Office of the President Director, and Ihnseok Song, Office of International Affairs Director. Interim Provost Ed Battistella, PhD, Geography Professor John Richards, PhD, and International Programs Director Sarah Stevens, PhD, are among the SOU faculty and staff who will be present.
“This agreement elaborates and deepens the 38-year-old partnership between SOU and Dankook while enhancing SOU’s international student exchange program” said Stevens.
Piano Institute 2008, July 28 through August 2 (6/23/08)
Southern Oregon University (SOU) is hosting an incredible opportunity for teachers and their students with wonderful week of immersive and progressive piano study in the SOU Music Building. Teachers include Dr. Ivona Kaminsky and Dr. Chris Bowlby, both from the Chopin Academy in Seattle, and SOU Professor of Music Dr. Alexander Tutunov. All are brilliant performers and teachers. People of all ages and levels are invited to attend.
The cost for the entire week is $350 (for performers) and $150 (for auditors). Pending approval, there may be a $200 afternoon-through-evening-only option.
There will be concerts and presentations in the evenings, as well as a trip to a Britt Festival rehearsal of the guest piano soloist Ingrid Fliter. Performers should prepare one to three pieces to play in front of the group, and memory is recommended but not required.
Dr. Christopher Bowlby began his studies on the piano at the age of eight. He has received recognition as a soloist and chamber musician, having been awarded the highest degrees in piano performance at universities in the United States and Canada. As a winner of several young artists' competitions, he was featured several times on Public Radio both as a speaker as well as a performer on stations in the mainland and Hawaii. He has appeared regularly as a soloist with Midwest orchestras. His extensive repertoire shows his expertise both in the great romantic masterworks, as well as new works by living composers, including John Corigliano, Jeff Junkinsmith, Laura Kaminsky, and Owen Bloomfield. Equally at home with chamber music literature, Bowlby performed Beethoven's Sonata in A major with cellist, Yo-Yo Ma and frequently performs four-hand and duo piano music with his wife, Ivona Kaminska-Bowlby.
Bowlby has been teaching piano for more than 13 years. His students range in age and ability from four years to advanced adults mastering works such as Liszt's etude, La Campanella. All of them have greatly enjoyed working with him. His patience and humor allow him to create a pleasant, amiable atmosphere during lessons without compromising the quality of instruction. Many of them have been awarded scholarships for both undergraduate and graduate programs in music at numerous prominent colleges and universities in Canada and the United States. His secondary academic interest led him to study with some of today's most prominent music theorists, including Henry Klumpenhouwer, Richard Kurth, John Rahn, and Jonathan Bernard. Bowlby's research has led him to discoveries of religious symbolism in the music of Olivier Messiaen.
Bowlby has taught at Mount Royal College, University of British Columbia, Shoreline Community College, and the University of Washington. He is currently the program director of the Chopin Academy of Music in Issaquah, Washington, and vice-president of the Seattle International Piano Festival, which hosts, among other events, an international piano competition. He is also a member of the Washington Music Teachers' Association and is an active Washington state adjudicator.
Dr. Ivona Kaminska combines a rare blend of passion and intellect, scholarly research, and sublime inspiration. With an inexorable thirst for knowledge, she studied internationally, coming into a wide array of influences representing the various world-wide schools of pianism and musicology. A native of Warsaw, Poland, Kaminska holds a master's degree and postgraduate artists' diploma from the Frederic Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, a master of music degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a doctorate degree from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. She has also participated in international festivals including the Mozarteum Sommerakademie in Austria, the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival in Germany, and as the international music festival in Duszniki-Zdroj, Poland. Winner of several solo concerto competitions, she has appeared as a soloist in Poland, Canada, and the United States, gaining acclaim for her tempestuous performances. Kaminska has also been bestowed several distinguished awards and artists' grants, including the Stefan Batory Foundation Award in 1993, the Mozarteum Akademie Scholarship in 1995, the Beryl Barnes Music Award in 1999, the PhD Recruitment Scholarship from the University of Alberta in 1998 and 1999, and the Astral Career Development Grant in 2003, among many others. She is an active performer, presenting dozens of recitals yearly, including programs of not only traditional solo piano repertoire, but also premiering several new works by living composers of Poland, Canada, and the United States. During her international studies, she worked with such artist-teachers as Andrzej Stefanski, Tatiana Shebanova, Boris Bloch, Ruth Laredo, James Cook, Stephane Lamelin, Mark Clinton, Henri-Paul Sicsic, and Marek Jablonski.
Kaminska's repertoire encompasses a wide spectrum of styles, ranging from early Baroque music performed on historic instruments, to the tempestuous avant-garde works of Frederic Rzewski and others. Having come into contact with such eminent experts in eighteenth-century music as Igor Kipnis, Gregory Butler, and George Ritchie, she has immersed herself in stylistic performance practice and pedagogical research. Having enriched her expertise by intense studies of the music of J. S. Bach on both organ and harpsichord, in 2003 Kaminska presented her doctoral dissertation, which discusses the genesis and analysis of the composer's often unappreciated and frequently misinterpreted French Overture, BWV 831.
Equally passionate as a pedagogue, Kaminska is the founder and artistic director of the Chopin Academy of Music in Issaquah, Washington, faculty member of Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington, and president of the Seattle International Piano Festival, which hosts, among other events, an international piano competition. She is frequently featured as a guest lecturer, master class clinician, and an adjudicator throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Dr. Alexander Tutunov is one of the most outstanding virtuosos of the former Soviet Union. His playing was described by Soviet Culture in Moscow as "exhilarating and inspired, and which demonstrated a unique talent". A native of Belarus, he entered the Central Music School of the Moscow Conservatory at age seven, one of three chosen out of 200 applicants, to study with Lev Naumov and Victor Merzhanov, where he graduated magna cum laude. He also holds diplomas in concert performance, with honors, from the Minsk Musical College (Belarus), University of North Texas (piano studies with Joseph Banowetz), and the Belarussian National Academy of Music. Tutunov was awarded the highest post graduate degree in concert performance from the Belarussian State Conservatory in Minsk.
Tutunov won the First Prize at the Belarussian National Piano Competition and was a winner of the Russian National Piano Competition. He has performed widely in the former Soviet Union, Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, China, Mexico, and the United States as a recitalist, soloist with orchestra, and on radio and television. Tutunov is presently under contract with Altarus Records to record the complete solo piano works of Lev Abeliovich. He also has recorded on AUR, Bravissimo, and Albany Records labels.
Currently director of keyboard studies and artists in residence at SOU, Tutunov is also the artist in residence at the University of Alaska Southeast and artistic director of the SOU International Piano Institute. He continues to be in great demand as a recitalist and orchestral soloist.
Please visit the Piano Institute's website for applications and more information.
SOU Hosts the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (6/18/08)
Southern Oregon University (SOU) will host the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) annual meeting from June 20 to 22, 2008. This year, the topic of the three-day conference is “Sustainability and the Liberal Arts Campus.”
Participants from liberal arts colleges and universities will discuss integrating environmental sustainability into the curriculum and into everyday campus practice.
SOU President Mary Cullinan and Vice President of Student Affairs Jonathan Eldridge will participate in a panel focused on SOU’s best practices. Their presentation will focus on the environmentally conscious materials and design of the new Higher Education Center, which recently received a platinum (highest) rating by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
Cullinan and Eldridge will also discuss SOU’s approach to updating the aging Ashland campus to be environmentally sustainable, the effectiveness of the SOU Sustainability Council, and the integration of environmental sustainability practices into undergraduate curriculum and student/faculty research.
Other universities presenting best practices include University of Minnesota-Morris, Keene State College, Evergreen State College, and Eastern Connecticut State University. Discussions will range from “Building Green” and “Becoming a Statewide Force in Sustainability” to “Engaging Students in Sustainability” and “Integrating Sustainability into the Curriculum.”
The keynote speaker for the conference is Chad Paeglow, General Manager for Bon Appetit Management Company at Google in Mountain View, California. He has spent six years with Bon Appetit, helping realize a variety of sustainable food initiatives and educating customers about food.
“The conference theme fits perfectly with the values of Southern Oregon University and also mirrors the values of our southern Oregon region,” said Cullinan. “From viticulture and agriculture, to small and major businesses, the Rogue Valley is a model for sustainability and environmental consciousness to much of the nation. This conference is a great opportunity to highlight SOU’s contributions and share best practices with colleagues at other public liberal arts institutions.”
Southern Oregon University Awards President’s Medal (6/17/08)
Southern Oregon University (SOU) is pleased to announce local philanthropist Alan DeBoer has received the President’s Medal.
DeBoer, a lifelong resident of Ashland, has a long-standing history of community involvement and leadership as a business owner, volunteer, and elected official.
In addition to owning TC Chevy in Ashland, he is the past president of the Oregon Automobile Dealers Association and runner-up finalist for the Time Magazine Quality Dealer of the Year.
DeBoer served as the mayor of Ashland from 2000 to 2004. He was appointed by the Oregon Governor to the “Governor’s Vehicle Emission Workforce” and by the Jackson County Commissioners to the “Task Force for County Services.”
DeBoer is active in numerous community organizations including the Ashland Chamber of Commerce, the Ashland YMCA, the Ashland Rotary, the Ashland Elks Lodge, the Ashland Community Land Trust, the Mount Ashland Association and the Ashland School Board. Both the Ashland Chamber of Commerce and the Ashland Elks Lodge have named DeBoer “Citizen of the Year.”
“My wife and I have been very fortunate that our parents moved to Ashland, because it is a wonderful place to grow up and raise our children,” said DeBoer. “We are very grateful that we have the opportunity to support the community.”
Southern Oregon University Announces New Provost (6/13/08)
Southern Oregon University (SOU) is pleased to announce that James Klein, PhD, will join the University’s leadership staff in the position of Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs.
Klein is currently dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Since 2005, Klein has led the college of 3,266 students majoring in 29 undergraduate and 15 graduate programs, including both master’s and doctoral degree programs. Klein directed 126 full-time faculty members and an $11-million budget.
"I am delighted that Dr. James Klein has accepted our offer to serve as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. He brings excellent experience and skills to the position,” said Mary Cullinan, SOU president. “He will be a valuable addition to the administrative team and a strong asset to Southern Oregon University."
Klein organized a comprehensive development program for training department heads, developed the college’s guidelines for staff and faculty promotions and tenures, and formed the University Studies Task Force to review the core curriculum.
Before serving as dean, Klein held various positions at California State University-Stanislaus, including both interim dean and associate dean of the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences; director of the School of Fine and Performing Arts; and executive assistant to the President.
“I am very excited about joining the leadership team at Southern Oregon University. The campus community has a wonderful spirit and energy,” said Klein. “I look forward to working with everyone to address the needs of our students and to enhance the strong reputation the university enjoys.”
SOU and RCC students awarded “Bridge of Dreams” scholarship (6/10/08)
Fifteen local individuals from southern Oregon and northern California were awarded $1,000 for the “Bridge of Dreams” scholarship.
The “Bridge of Dreams” Scholarship Program was created in 2002 and is sponsored by Harry & David, Inc., Medford Fabrication, and KOBI TV, NBC. The goals of the program are to encourage individuals to attend college, and become members of the southern Oregon and northern California workforce.
“We are thrilled to be a part of the Bridge of Dreams Scholarships for Rogue Valley students,” said Patsy Smullin, president, KOBI TV, NBC 5.
Each of the recipients have unique backgrounds, and has set career goals for themselves. Ashton Kayser will be 16 years old when she graduates from high school this June. She intends to graduate from Southern Oregon University (SOU) in three years, and then receive her master’s degree in psychology.
Incoming SOU freshman Ailin Castrejon dreams of being a nurse. A recent immigrant to the U.S., Castrejon feels compelled to help underprivileged immigrant communities.
Roberto Rivera will attend SOU next year as criminology major. Rivera believes learning English as his second language is his greatest accomplishment to date, and plans on becoming a police officer. He will be the first in his family to graduate from college, and hopes his success serves as inspiration for his whole family.
Recipients of the scholarship also include: David Brown, S.E. Rose Bahr, Bacilio Cortes, Jennifer Corona, Miguel Delgado, Jennifer Fernandes, Jordan Glanz, Carrie Gragg, Amanda Morris, Pedro Marquez, Onita Phillips, and Laura Velazquez-Rangel.
Each recipient’s award will be applied toward tuition and fees at either SOU or Rogue Community College (RCC). To be selected, applicants must have been residents of either southern Oregon or northern California, with intentions of entering the workforce in the region after graduation. They must have had good academic standing and demonstrated financial need.
For more information about the “Bridge of Dreams” scholarship, contact the SOU Foundation at 541-552-6163.
Bobby Heiken named SOU Sports Information Director (6/10/08)
Southern Oregon University (SOU) Athletics announced that Raider alum Bobby Heiken returned to Ashland as the new Sports Information Director (SID) for the University. Heiken, a 1997 communication graduate of SOU, recently served as the Assistant Athletic Director of Media and External Relations at Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado, a post he held since 2002.
“We are excited to welcome Bobby back to SOU and the Valley,” stated Director of Athletics Dennis Francois. “He has gained valuable experience at Western State and I am confident he will be a great addition to our administrative staff on many fronts.”
While at Western State, Heiken was instrumental in updating the technology used by Western State athletics and improving all aspects of media relations for the NCAA Division II athletic department. During that time he developed a new website, increased electronic media exposure for the Mountaineers, and served as a liaison to the Western State Alumni Association and the athletic department’s booster club.
Prior to Western State, Heiken spent five years working at the Ashland Daily Tidings, including two years as sports editor. He also worked for ESPN Radio in Medford for a year.
Heiken earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism/sports information from SOU. During his time as a student and following graduation, Heiken was an assistant in the SOU Sports Information Office.
“I’m excited to return to Southern Oregon University,” Heiken said. “This is a great time to be part of the team at SOU and I’m really looking forward to what we can accomplish.”
Heiken began his duties on June 1, taking over for Pete Belcastro, long-time SOU radio play-by-play announcer, who assumed the interim duties in October 2007.
“I am grateful for Pete’s service to the department during a critical time,” stated Francois. “Pete’s loyalty to SOU Athletics is immense, and I believe he has gained an even greater respect for the work of the SID office and our coaches during his tenure.”
Heiken, his wife, and daughter plan to relocate to Ashland in the next few months.
SOU Commencement Ceremony (6/10/08)
Southern Oregon University (SOU) announces the 82nd commencement ceremony on June 14, 2008. The celebration will be held at 9 am in Mountain Arena. Of 834 2008 graduates, 671 students are bachelor’s degree recipients, 139 students are receiving master’s degrees, 23 students are earning certificates and one student is receiving a doctorate degree (in conjunction with Oregon Health & Science University).
This year Ty Burrell will give the keynote speech. Burrell graduated from SOU in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts. Burrell co-stared in the CBS sitcom “Back to You.” He is currently featured in “The Incredible Hulk” that opens nationwide June 13th, in which he plays the role of Doc Samson.
The class of 2008 student speaker will be Aspen Gerten. Gerten is from Central Point, Ore., and is graduating with her bachelor’s in communication. In addition to being a student, Gerten works as an advocate and spokesperson for Mentors: The National Mentoring Partnership, serves on the board of the Miss Rogue Valley Scholarship Program, and volunteers for both the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theatre and Science Works in Ashland.
Among the graduating students, three will receive special recognition. Karen Amarotico will receive the 2008 Universidad De Guanajuato award for outstanding graduate student. Amarotico is graduating with a master’s in management degree, which is her second degree from SOU. Karen and her husband, Emile Amarotico, earned bachelor’s degrees from SOU in 1990. Emile will speak at commencement on behalf of the SOU Alumni Association, of which he is a member. The Amarotico tradition of involvement has continued with their daughter, Alexandra Amarotico, an SOU student majoring in business. She is also active in the SOU theatre department, appearing in the recent department production, “Urinetown”.
Two SOU graduating seniors have been awarded the Dankook award. Harrison Baker, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in communication, will receive the award for outstanding male undergraduate student. Baker, originally from Tallahassee, Fla., lives in Ashland with his wife, Sharon Abercrombie, who has been accepted into SOU’s Master of Arts in Teaching program.
Ixel Sañchez y Sañchez, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, will receive the award for outstanding female undergraduate. Sañchez y Sañchez transferred to SOU after coming here as an exchange student from Guanajuato, Mexico.
“We work toward this day throughout the academic year,” said Mary Cullinan, SOU President. “Commencement honors and celebrates all the hard work of students and faculty. It’s always a great day.”
PEO Sisterhood awards SOU student with scholarship (6/5/08)
Southern Oregon University (SOU) undergraduate student Jennifer Beaman was awarded with the Chapter BN Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO) Scholarship for Women.
Beaman is a senior health and PE major. She graduated from Warren High School in Downey, Calif.
The purpose of the scholarship is to provide financial assistance to one female student whose education has been interrupted, and who wishes to resume their studies for a degree at SOU.
To be considered for the scholarship, female students had to be of junior or senior standing with a GPA of 3.5 or higher, and enrolled full-time at SOU or transferring from Rogue Community College. Applicants had to be Oregon residents, and must have had their college education interrupted for at least two consecutive academic years.
“I feel special,” Beaman said. “The scholarship helps take the stress away, and I am able to focus and concentrate on my studies. I appreciate the fact that SOU makes connections with organizations that help students get through college. I’m very grateful.”
The PEO Sisterhood is a national organization that formed in 1869. The BN Chapter of the sisterhood first set up the scholarship in 1989. PEO celebrates the advancement, education, and motivation of women through various scholarships, awards, grants, and loans. For more information, visit the PEO Sisterhood.
